Summary of gulliver's travels

Summary of gulliver's travels

1. St Xavier’s College, Mahuadanr.
Summary of Gulliver’s Travels.
Book I: A Voyage to Lilliput.
Gulliver’s Travels written by Jonathan Swift is the story of the adventures of Lamuel
Gulliver, the narrator and protagonist of the story. Gulliver is married and from
Nottinghamshire, England, who has an interest for travelling. He works as a surgeon on ships
and eventually becomes a ship captain.
Gulliver set sail for the East Indies in May 1899 where the ship struck a rock and most
of his companions were drowned and Gulliver was washed ashore on a Small Island. When he
awoke the next morning he found that he had been tied down by ropes of small threads and was
surrounded by people who wear 6 inches tall.
Gulliver was both tired and in a state of shock. He describes the countryside (village)
where everything was one-twelfth of the size he had been used at home. The emperor of
Lilliput along with 6 Lilliputians visits him and ordered to shoot at Gulliver. He just pretends to
eat archers and then he releases them. This kindness pleases the emperor and after a brief
debate he is released. Gulliver is invited into the Royal Court where is given opportunity to
demonstrate his skills in dancing on a rope which was an official qualification for an official
post. Besides this there were some other skills required like crawling or jumping over a stick
etc. The emperor was very impressed and as a result of Gulliver’s behavior and his kills he is
granted limited freedom which consisted of eight points and the most important are:
• He should not leave Lilliput without permission.
• He would walk only on the roads and would not trample or handle the Lilliputians.
• He will fight against Blefuscu a neighboring Island and will help in heavy
Constructions.
• In return for his help and cooperation he would be given food sufficient for 1728
Lilliputians.
Gulliver becomes a hero when he saves the country from an invasion by Blefuscudians. He
cuts loose a great many ships of Blefuscudians and brags on the side of Lilliput. Gulliver is of

2. course attacked with a cloud of arrows but he protects his eyes with his glasses. In ingratitude
Gulliver is given the title of Nardac.
Although Gulliver is greatly honored, he refuses to destroy Blefuscu completely and instead
agrees for reasonable peace for both the lands. This annoys Flimnap, the treasurer, who did not
like the growing influence of Gulliver in the court. They started to intrigue and the emperor
listens to all the charges against Gulliver. Meanwhile the Royal Court catches fire and Gulliver
puts it out by urinating on it. But the Empress is horrified by Gulliver’s fire fighting techniques.
Gulliver digresses (deviates) and talks about the laws and Customs and educational system
of Lilliput. Regarding the country laws he says that the most serious crime is treason
(disloyalty) which is severely punished. The schools for young children were Spartan (simple)
without any comfort. Students were trained in honor, justice, courage, modesty, clemency and
religion. Parents visited their children twice a year for only an hour. Generally all classes of
society had to go to school except workers and farmers.
Gulliver is informed that Flimnap and Skyresh had drawn up a list of charges against him:
• He is accused of maliciously (nastily) traitorously (disloyally) and devilishly putting
out the fire in the palace,
• of refusing to destroy Blefuscu
• Of trying to make pace with Blefuscu.
He is also informed that the emperor had accepted the charges but had graciously refused to
burn him or poison his food or shoot him with arrows. Instead he decides to starve him by
refusing to give him enough food. Gulliver considers the punishment to be severe rather than
lenient and escapes to Blefuscu.
The Lilliputians demanded that Gulliver be returned to them but Gulliver realizes that he has
been made a pawn in the quarrel between them and finds a boat and escapes to find a ship that
takes him back to England.

3. Book II: A Voyage to Brobdingnag.
Two months after his return Gulliver is on the high seas again, this time for the East
Indies. The ship goes off course following a severe storm. Land is seen sometime later but he is
separated from his companions but he sees a giant (huge) human being in pursuit (search) of
the boat. For fear of being trampled he hides in a wheat field. Unfortunately six more giants
enter the field to harvest the crop and Gulliver is discovered. He is carried by the giant to the
owner of the fields and Gulliver was able to convince him through sign language that he is
harmless creature.
The people that Gulliver meets in his Island are 60 Feet tall and all other things in the
kingdom are equally big. He spends the night in the farmer’s house and he is attacked by two
rats in the size of dogs. Of all the family, the farmer’s daughter is most fascinated by him. She
treats him like a little doll and even gives him a name Grildrig. He learns their language
quickly and makes friends with neighbors. Meanwhile the farmer makes some money for
himself by exhibiting him in the nearby city on a market day. Large crowds pay fees to see
him. He is also summoned to the Royal Court to see the Queen.
After his performance in front of the queen he is purchased from the farmer and made a
member of the Royal attendants and employs the farmer’s daughter to be his nurse and guide.
Gulliver now regularly entertains the King and Queen with his accounts of life in Europe and
his Adventures at sea. He wins the favor of the Royal couple and travels around with them in a
specially designed box.
One day they visit the sea coast where he gets an opportunity to escape. He was put in a
box and a servant is asked to look after it. He neglects his job and an Eagle swoops down and
snatches the box. The box is carried by the wind close to an English ship and recovered by the
sailors. He returned to England. But living 2 years in the land of Giants he is convinced that all
English men were midgets because the people of Brobdingnag are moral people with high
sense of morality.